


if the stars all fall

by Argentina



Category: RWBY
Genre: Catharsis, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, Introspection, M/M, idk how to even tag this anymore oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22520581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argentina/pseuds/Argentina
Summary: He takes something with him, when he makes his way out of the mess, escorted by soldiers. He slips it into his pocket before they tie his wrists.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 74





	if the stars all fall

**Author's Note:**

> so ozpin is back and i'm actually super happy about that?? that entire pep talk/voiceover things in ep 13 was just pure enlightenment 
> 
> butttt, yeah that scene with qrow and robyn in the plane basically inspired this entire thing and i figured i had to type this up, so enjoy this super quick (hopefully) uplifting and hopeful fic, because as much as i wish it had gone differently, the emotions the finale evoked in me was enough, and i appreciate the way we can get so attached to characters
> 
> title taken from "Gold", which is a song that's part of the series

Qrow looks down at his arms, his hands clutching tightly to the fabric of Clover’s shirt. His knuckles are turning white and he can barely feel his fingers from the strain he’s putting on them. That, combined with the cold, isn’t doing him any good, but he can’t bring himself to care about what’s good for him when there’s someone else who needs his attention so much more. 

“Come on, Clover,” he grits out, his vision blurred by tears that he can’t seem to blink out no matter how hard he tries. 

He lifts the other man marginally off the snow to shake him. The lack of response does nothing other than make Qrow want to scream even more. It isn’t _fair_. Nothing about this is just, but then again, nothing in life ever is. The best things are always the ones that never last. 

He could’ve had it all. Everything would’ve been fine if Qrow had just given in to demands. If he had just let Clover detain him and follow the orders he was assigned, none of this would’ve happened. If Qrow could do it all again, he would’ve let it happen at his expense, because it would’ve saved Clover from paying the price. 

He wouldn’t have done it if he had known. 

~

He takes something with him, when he makes his way out of the mess, escorted by soldiers. He slips it into his pocket before they tie his wrists. 

~

There’s a reason he stopped drinking. It was for his nieces and the kids. It was so he could be a good role model and a figure they could be able to look up to in a time where they all needed to stay strong. He did it all for them, and in the process, he found that it ended up being beneficial to himself as well. 

And for a while since then, he never found the need or will to start the habit back up again. He was happy, for once in his life. The people he trained with were all skilled and easy to talk to. They provided him and the kids with a place to stay, as well as tasks to carry out with their freshly earned Huntsmen licenses. It was all they had wanted; it was all he could’ve asked for. He had practically every aspect he needed to be satisfied with what he was doing and content with the lifestyle he had chosen to settle upon. 

There wasn’t really a problem until Tyrian and Arthur came into the picture, and even that wasn’t that bad, not really. The real issue was when Ironwood had become a turncoat and broke his ties with everyone that had grown close to him. He had his reasons, Qrow’s sure, but it didn’t mean he needed to agree with them or that he needed to accept things the way they were. 

There was the matter of protecting Mantle and his team, and he hadn’t had time to allow Clover to stop him, even if he didn’t truly mean any harm. He couldn’t let hindrances like that blind him from the goal that was plastered in front of his direct view, because he knew that there would be consequences.

He hadn’t had the time to think about his ways of coping with things when he had to face them one after another, but sitting in the back of an Atlesian plane with his wrists bound by wire gives him plenty of time to think. Too much time. 

Robyn is sitting beside him, and she looks exhausted, completely worn out from the recent events. Qrow doesn’t blame her. He feels the same way, but his mind is far too active for him to actually show it.

He’s never been good at coping with things in a healthy way, but there’s nothing for him to do here. Maybe he should see that as a good thing. 

He sighs and leans back against the wall, his head aching from everything that’s happened.

It’s not the first time he’s gone through something similar. He’s had to deal with it after Summer, after Raven left him. He’s had to face his emotions alone, forcing himself to grieve away from everyone he knows. 

He should be able to do it again. 

But, nonetheless, there’s something different about this time. It’s something he can’t quite place. 

He remembers something important. 

Sliding the pin out from where he had stashed it, he runs his fingers over the dried blood. 

It feels almost wrong to be in possession of such a personal thing. He feels as if he’s imposing on a level of privacy he has no right to be on. This had belonged to Clover, and it contains a piece of him that Qrow had a part in breaking off the whole. It’s a testament to his sins.

He shouldn’t keep it, but he can’t bring himself to let it go, not when it’s all that’s left of the man. 

~

And it’s not until a while later, when Robyn seems to be more alert, and focused on the fact that she’s stuck in the back of a plane with Qrow, that he realizes what’s different about this loss, compared to all his other ones. 

Robyn places a hand on his shoulder, and they both lean forward to stare at the charm in his palms.

It fills Qrow with hope and a will to avenge someone he still cares about dearly. He feels determined, which is one emotion he’d never felt after Summer. He has to move forward, instead of lamenting what could’ve been.

He closes his hand around the pin. 

He’s a lucky man.


End file.
